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ORD-413-73
24 January 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR:
C/IP&A/ORD
SUBJECT
Briefing by Stanford Research Institute
1.
On 23 January 1973, Drs. Russell Targ and
Harold Puthoff of Stanford Research Institute showed a
film of their recent experiments with Uri Geller, an
Israeli magician with claimed capabilities in ESP. The
SRI work with Geller has been supported by Edgar Mitchell's
foundation, by something with a name like Mind Science
Institute of Los Angeles, and by TSD.
2.
The film depicted Geller in a number of task
situations.
These included reproduction of line drawings
from originals sealed in envelopes, guessing which face
of a die enclosed in a container would be uppermost when
shaking of the container ceased, guessing which one of
twelve containers contained a piece of metal or some water
(by successive elimination of the empty containers) , and
bending spoons by touching them with apparently much
less force than would be required normally to bend them.
If the experiments as shown on the film are accepted at
face value there is strong indication that Geller possesses
uncommon abilities.
For except in those cases where
Geller 'passed' either because of fatigue, of claimed
temporary diminution of ESP abilities, or of claimed
interference from hostile onlookers, Geller is said to
have performed many of these tasks repeatedly under
controlled conditions with no errors whatsoever (although
some of the line drawings were reproduced by Geller as a
mirror image of the out-of-sight originals). Targ and
Puthoff presented themselves as neutral physical scientists,
well aware of the hazards of dealing with a professional
magician whose avowed purpose at SRI is to obtain certifi-
cation as an authentic psychic, and willing to accept
only experimental results that admit of no explanation
through fraud, sleight-of-hand, or other trickery.
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3.
Nonetheless on the basis of meetings I have
attended at ARPA, whose Drs. Austin Kibler and George
Lawrence have been to SRI to observe Geller, Puthoff
and Targ in action, there is serious doubt that Geller's
accomplishment transcends the range of activities of a
skillful magician can perform and much concern that
Puthoff's and Targ's own experimental bias in favor of
successful outcomes is undermining their objectivity
in designing properly controlled experimental procedures.
Geller's connections with Dr. A. Puharich, with whom
many unsavory reports have been linked, also is dis-
turbing. However, I personnally observed at yesterday's
briefing no unorthodox behavior by Puthoff or Targ that
could serve to corroborate ARPA's judgment. Of course,
no film is an unimpeachable record of a behavioral
situation and though I doubt that SRI would risk their
reputation by showing a doctored film much stranger
things have happened in the not very honorable history
of persons or groups claiming ESP powers.
4.
It strikes me that what is of interest to CIA
is not whether Geller's perceptions are sensory or extra-
sensory but rather whether his capabilities are exploit-
able by CIA (not necessarily utilizing Geller personally:
possibly others could be trained to do what he does) .
And indeed some one who could reproduce blueprints locked
in safes without looking at the blueprints, or some one
who could distinguish from a distance decoys from real
missiles, would be an undoubted asset.
has
suggested a controlled series of experiments one could
undertake with Geller to see to what extent, e.g., he
could draw previously unseen blueprints.
(Dr. Lawrence
reported that Geller balked at reproducing anything more
complex than a simple line drawing. )
It is also true
that SRI's experiments with Geller to date have dealt
exclusively with behavioral tasks and not at all with
examination of Geller himself (other than a cursory EEG
examination which apparently revealed nothing abnormal)
and future activities with him could deal with an
examination of his perceptual abilities to learn whether,
e.g., his vision or hearing extends beyond normal
human limits.
SG11
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5.
£
I recommend that you discuss with appropriate
persons in TSD their plans for future research at SRI,
both with Geller and with other subjects such as
Ingo Swann, the New York artist who reportedly slowed
down a Stanford University magnetometer.
It may
prove worth while to explore pursuing some carefully
controlled experiments with Geller over and above the
experiments TSD is funding. I think the following
factors should be considered carefully when reaching
a decision whether to commit ORD funds for such
exploratory research:
a.
The past history, within and without
ORD, of endeavors to substantiate claims of
persons with alleged ESP powers is a history
of repeated failures.
b.
However, the future in principle
.
cannot be foretold from the past. a. should
serve only to influence one's prior subjective
probability of the rewards to be gained by
funding experiments like this.
SG11
c.
told me he was
'humbled' by the film; thus at least at some
level of DD/S&T management there is belief
that something of value may come from investing
in this area.
SG11
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